/ ˈlɔːjə(r); NAmE / noun
a person who is trained and qualified to advise people about the law and to represent them in court, and to write legal documents
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lawyers
Lawyer is a general term for a person who is qualified to advise people about the law, to prepare legal documents for them and/or to represent them in a court of law.
In England and Wales, a lawyer who is qualified to speak in the higher courts of law is called a barrister . In Scotland a barrister is called an advocate .
In NAmE attorney is a more formal word used for a lawyer and is used especially in job titles:
district attorney.
Counsel is the formal legal word used for a lawyer who is representing someone in court:
counsel for the prosecution.
Solicitor is the BrE term for a lawyer who gives legal advice and prepares documents, for example when you are buying a house, and sometimes has the right to speak in a court of law.
In NAmE solicitor is only used in the titles of some lawyers who work for the government:
Solicitor General.